Contract Marriage with the Devil Duke (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 12
As a tense atmosphere spread, Orentia clasped her hands together and swallowed hard. Being with him, who exuded a suspicious charm, made her far more nervous than she had expected.
Seeing her stiffen, Dimidius walked over with heavy steps and stood before Orentia.
Dimidius’s steady gaze fell upon her.
“Lady, what brings you here?”
He sounded genuinely curious. His voice had a slight edge to it, as if turned outward.
Orentia raised her head and tried to meet the eyes of the masked man.
“I’m the one with plenty of questions! Why are you alone here? Do you have any idea how startled I was?”
“Answer my question first. Have you finally become aware of your own power? Is that why you sought this flower?”
“What power? You do know who I am now, don’t you? I’m Orentia of House Armenuaka, niece to Count Odor. As his niece, I’m allowed to enter here.”
But it seemed Dimidius wasn’t satisfied with her answer.
He asked again, seriously.
“Lady, you found this flower without losing your way even once. Think—how were you able to come straight here through this dark forest, where even distinguishing left from right is difficult?”
“Wait, hold on! I have no idea what Your Grace is talking about. What flower?”
At Orentia’s question, Dimidius pointed with one hand to the white flower glowing with a soft radiance—the one that resembled a sunflower.
Only then did Orentia seem to nod in understanding, then widened her eyes again in surprise.
“Huh? The reason I came straight here? I just followed the white light shining from the flower! Isn’t it the same for Your Grace?”
With such a bright, clear light shining, there was no way to get lost in the forest. Though, admittedly, getting back out might not be so easy.
After a moment, as if unable to believe her words, Dimidius let out a hollow laugh.
“Haha! What utter nonsense. Where is there any light here? Did you see a ghost or something?”
‘What on earth is he talking about?’
A chill ran instantly down Orentia’s spine. She wrapped her arms around her shoulders and moistened her dry lips.
“What’s wrong? Are you scared? Look over there! Light is clearly coming from that sunflower-like flower—a transparent, bright light, not sunlight, moonlight, or even twilight!”
She stomped her feet in frustration, but Dimidius fell silent for a moment, as if at a loss for words. Though it was a spring night, it felt like deep winter. At least, thankfully, he didn’t seem to have noticed the white glow of Pieta’s bracelet.
Dimidius adjusted his mask with one hand and spoke in a solemn tone.
“Very well. The Lady has no reason to lie.”
Orentia stepped closer to the flower again and rubbed her eyes. She stared intently, blinked several times—but the glow was still undeniably there.
She bit her tongue and shivered slightly as she spoke.
“Then why can I see it? Is it Your Grace’s eyes that are mistaken… or mine?”
At that moment, even more unsettling words slipped from Dimidius’s lips.
“When I received reports about the Illusion Bloom, I never heard anything about it emitting light. It must be that your eyes are special, Lady.”
She’d never heard anyone say her eyes were “special” before. She’d often been told they were large, round, gentle, and quite captivating—but never special.
‘So… you’re saying only I can see this white light? That’s impossible.’
Stunned, she could only blink rapidly, and Dimidius continued.
“Of course, very few people even know about the Illusion Bloom right now. It seems to grow only in this forbidden forest. Even I only recently learned of its properties.”
It already felt strange to keep talking about the Illusion Bloom.
Orentia glanced back and forth between the flower still emitting white light and Dimidius.
“Did you perhaps come here secretly to see this flower—without telling your uncle, I mean, Count Odor? This place is forbidden to outsiders, after all. And then you saw me enter the forest and find the Illusion Bloom instantly?”
Surprisingly, Dimidius nodded readily.
Orentia felt the confusion in her mind gradually clearing.
‘So His Grace the Grand Duke came to Odor territory because of that flower…’
Just then, Dimidius’s sharp voice cut through the air.
“You may tell the Count at any time that I entered this forest.”
He seemed certain she would do exactly that.
Orentia furrowed her brow.
“Then what exactly is this Illusion Bloom? What’s so important about it that you came all the way to Count Odor’s domain?”
A brief silence hung in the air.
Without answering, Dimidius stepped closer to the flower swaying in the breeze and knelt on one knee. To Orentia, enveloped in the flower’s radiant halo, he looked breathtakingly beautiful—even with his mask on—his silhouette so graceful it drew an involuntary sigh from her, as if a god had descended to earth.
He really shouldn’t look so striking.
After a long while of gently caressing the flower, Dimidius finally spoke.
“That’s right. I absolutely need this flower now. I came here to negotiate.”
Dimidius briefly recalled the past.
[This is the timeline separator]Knock knock!
A knock sounded, then the study door opened, and his aide Kilrun entered. Kilrun was a rough-looking man with a scar across his left cheek.
His mismatched eyes held an enigmatic gleam, even more pronounced than in others.
“Your Grace, the rumor circulating in the Information Guild appears to be true. According to my findings, the Illusion Bloom radiates holy power when in full bloom.”
Dimidius tapped his fingers lightly on the desk.
“Just as I thought. It seems House Odor deliberately leaked this information—essentially saying, ‘We possess a flower imbued with holy power; if you need it, come negotiate.’”
“Wouldn’t that be the case? They clearly don’t want the information spreading entirely outside. After all, if it did, the Church wouldn’t stand idle.”
In the Bonus Empire, the Church held immense power. They would surely seek to monopolize a rare flower that emitted holy power. If that happened, Count Odor would lose his precious bloom without receiving fair compensation.
It was evident that House Odor preferred to sell privately rather than through the Church, a public institution, for practical benefit.
Dimidius lifted one corner of his mouth in a faint smirk.
“I’ll be glad to purchase it.”
Dimidius was half-human, half-demon. To maintain his human form for extended periods, he desperately needed holy power—the opposite of demonic energy.
Thus, his surroundings were always filled with all kinds of holy artifacts.
If he ever unleashed his demonic power again—as he had during the attack five years ago—he would require even more holy power. And he would also need someone capable of wielding holy power freely.
Hoping such a situation wouldn’t arise, Dimidius leaned back in his leather chair and took the documents Kilrun handed him.
He tapped his foot idly as he spoke.
“Let’s first see how they respond.”
On the spot, Dimidius swiftly penned a letter and sent it to House Odor.
Success right away would be ideal—but even if not, it didn’t matter.
He was confident in his skill at negotiation.
[This is the timeline separator]Coming here to negotiate had been fine—up to a point.
But ever since meeting Lady Orentia Armenuaka, things had started going slightly awry.
He’d known from the beginning that she possessed holy power, but since he hadn’t needed someone who could actively use holy power at that moment, he hadn’t approached her.
However, this time, to save Orentia, he’d unleashed his demonic power for the first time in five years. Now he absolutely had to succeed in the negotiation, obtain the Illusion Bloom, and secure someone who could freely wield holy power.
And the best candidate was undoubtedly the very Orentia standing before him.
Dimidius straightened his knees, stood up, and stared intently at Orentia, who insisted the Illusion Bloom emitted light.
She wore a thin white dress that left her shoulders slightly exposed—yet she didn’t seem cold at all. Bathed in the moonlight filtering through the forest, she herself glowed as brightly as the moon.
And with her pale platinum hair and golden eyes like ripe apricots—
Wasn’t it she, not the Illusion Bloom, who was truly glowing?
Shaking off the fanciful thought, Dimidius spoke to Orentia.
“Let’s leave this place first. It’s spring, but nights are still cold—and you came out dressed like that?”
Orentia brightened instantly.
“Oh my! Could it be… you’re worried about me?”
She really was impossible.
Did he really have to get mocked just for saying that?
Thinking how utterly exasperating she was, Dimidius turned and walked into the forest. The niece of Count Odor would surely follow on her own.
[This is the timeline separator]Dimidius remained remarkably silent, lost in thought. He still radiated that overwhelming, almost unbearable pressure. Come to think of it, even knights and hardened ruffians seemed to struggle just being near him—so why was she perfectly fine? That, too, was rather odd.
Just then, after deep consideration, Dimidius carefully opened his mouth.
“I must ask you now. Do you still not realize that you possess holy power? If you saw white light from the Illusion Bloom, that must have been a ripple of holy power.”
Holy power…
Orentia let out a soft, amused laugh.
“Well… what on earth are you mistaken about? True, my ancestors had holy power—but not me. Maybe even an ordinary person like me could perceive ripples of holy power, for all we know.”
“You are of the Apricot Tree lineage—the family known for exorcising spirits.”
“Yes. And?”
“When I held your hand… I felt it.”
‘Felt what, exactly?’
Male lead fell into her trap — and shattered when she walked away
This is also on my reread list!
This one is a slow burn, but when it burns, it burns hard.
Definitely worth a read, y’all!
The story follows a thousand-year-old seductive spirit who, on a bet, sets out to charm the male lead—a once-promising but unfortunate cultivator.
But just when she succeeds in making him fall for her, she heartlessly leaves, driving him to madness.
Determined to find her at all costs, he captures her, keeping her by his side no matter what, even if she hates him.
I love this kind of trope—I enjoy watching the male lead suffer in agony.
The ending drags a bit with unnecessary filler, but that’s fine.
As long as I enjoy the beginning, I’m good.
Intro
As an enchantress, Su Heng possesses captivating eyes and charming beauty, easily manipulating the joys and sorrows of living beings at her fingertips.
But to enchant a god, making him taste the bitterness of love’s separation, long-lasting resentment, unattainable desires, and inability to let go…
Do you dare?
Su Heng assists a divine lord in his cultivation, aiming to make him experience all the sufferings of love, so that he can attain the Great Dao.
Only after being chased down from the heavens by the divine lord, confined and completely possessed by him, does she realize how successful she has been.
The once gentle and polite youth has transformed into someone she no longer recognizes.
[Touch the gear icon in the bottom right corner of the screen to move to the next chapter if you want.]
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